Life Support
by Bryn Gwyrdd
Summary: Trying to recover from the latest attack on the Agency, Francine realizes a good agent shouldn't go it alone.
1. First Choice, Second Chance

Disclaimer: I do not own of these characters; they are the property of Shoot the Moon Enterprises and Warner Bros. Television. I acknowledge gratefully the hard work of the creators of the series who brought to life characters we like so much we can't let them go.

Author's Note: This tale refers to adventures and jokes that are from previous stories. You don't _have_ to read them, but if you'd like to, click on my name – my stories so far are in chronological order.

* * *

 **Life Support**

"Amanda, you are a life saver. I don't know how I'd manage to get all this off my desk before I leave tonight if you weren't helping."

"It's no trouble at all, Francine. I'm happy to help, even if it's only the paperwork side of things. I promise to look after Billy – you just go on vacation and enjoy yourself, alright? Just promise me you're going to go somewhere and relax with no adventures this time, okay?"

"I promise. The last time I went on a trip like this with Jonathan, we never even left the hotel room. Although that did mean I came home with a bladder infection."

Amanda glanced up in time to see Lee, who had been walking up behind Francine, blanch and spin on his heel and walk away, shaking his head. "Well, it would be nice if you could manage to come home from a trip without a hospital stay being required."

"It would, wouldn't it?" Francine shook her head. "I think I should be safe this time – I mean, nothing ever happens in the Caribbean, right?"

Their eyes met and both women started to laugh uncontrollably.

"You're not going to Cap D'Far, are you?" asked Amanda, wiping her eyes. "If anyone could ruin a vacation for you, it'll be King Eddie."

Francine's eyes widened. "Oh lord, I never thought to tell Jonathan not to book us there! Can you imagine? With my luck, there'd have been a coup."

"So not Veronique either? We had a good time there," quipped Amanda.

" _You_ had a good time there, Amanda. In fact," she added with narrowed eyes, "you were probably having more fun than I realized at the time, weren't you?" The glint of mischief behind Amanda's innocent expression told her she'd hit the nail on the head. "I, on the other hand, ended up in hospital that time too, remember?" she scolded, but with a smile. "No, not Veronique – we're headed for San Angelo."

"Well, be careful what you sign up for. I ended up having to marry Lee when we went there."

"The sacrifices you've made for your country are appreciated, Mrs. Stetson," murmured Francine after a quick look around to make sure no one was in earshot. "Okay, so that's Billy's schedule taken care of. Now, Dr. Dunleavy is in a new safe house and he'll probably be thrilled to see you instead of me, but I did promise him I'd start bringing him better food – he likes burritos."

"I'll bring him something from Milo's – if it's Lee's favourite takeout shack, it must be good."

"Good idea. And for any computer work, you can use mine and if you need any help, just ask Beaman - he's a whiz on the thing and he gets here faster than the guys from the technology department to fix stuff."

Amanda looked down to hide her smile at the idea that anyone other than Francine got quick help from Efraim, but Francine caught it anyway and sat back in her chair to look around the bullpen.

"Which reminds me, I haven't told him thank you for helping Lee figure out where Brody had taken me. If you think you've got a handle on this, I should go find him before I leave." She noticed Amanda's brows raise and went on defensively, "Well, you told me I should be nicer to him and if the last few months have taught me anything, it's that friends are important in this business."

Amanda nodded. "You won't get any disagreement from me there. Just don't rub it in that you're leaving to go off with Jonathan – he still has a crush on you."

Francine had started to get up, but paused at that remark and sank back into the seat. "Amanda? Does it bother you that Lee and I are working together so much lately?

"The way it bothered you when he first started working with me, you mean?" Amanda's eyes lit up with laughter as Francine grimaced. "No, of course it doesn't. You worked with him long before I came along, and you two have your own way of working together that I can't compete with. You're a much better field agent than I'll ever be – everyone knows that."

"He almost lost everything helping me fight that frame-up. How can you not blame me?"

"Why would I blame you?" Amanda sounded honestly surprised. "That whole Stemwinder thing taught us both about how easy it is for people to think the worst of you when you've done nothing to deserve it and that you need friends in your corner. Lee wouldn't be Lee if he hadn't fought for you when Billy couldn't."

Francine shrugged lightly. "It just seems like he's been pulled into my cases or me into his a lot lately and I don't want you thinking it's something I'm doing on purpose."

Amanda leaned forward to rest her hand on Francine's arm. "It really doesn't bother me – it's the nature of the business, and actually, it's been good for us to not be quite in each other's hair so much lately. It's been…" she paused, searching for the right word, "I don't know - difficult trying to figure out how to be partners and be married and not together and trying to keep it all secret." She sighed and stared down at her hand where her wedding ring should be. She looked up to see the look of concern on Francine's face. "Don't look so worried. I just meant that it's better when we're not trying to figure out our personal life and a case at the same time, you know? Stupid little things become stupid big things if you're not careful – I learned that with my first marriage."

"But you think you can do it? Be an agent and be married, I mean?" asked Francine. "It seems like a lot of extra stress on a relationship."

Amanda gave her a conspiratorial smile. "Yes, I do. No matter how crazy we make each other when we're together, it makes us crazier to be apart. It'll be better once we figure out how not to let those little things get to us."

"Would you have chosen to live like this if you'd known what it would be like?"

Amanda tilted her head and considered the question. "No, I might not have chosen this life but Lee and I choose each other every day. I'll always make that choice, whether we're working together or not."

Francine thought about that for a moment. "You choose each other? You two make it look like it's all just rainbows and unicorns."

"Oh wow – that could not be further from the truth!" Amanda couldn't hold in the ripple of laughter. "He's still Lee Stetson – grumpy in the mornings, thinks he's a lone wolf, used to leaving the toilet seat up – it's making him crazy trying to fit our lifestyles together, no matter how much he wants to."

"But at least he wants to, although I have to admit, even after seeing him around your kids, it's still weird – like trying to imagine Warren Beatty settling down and having a family."

"Well, it's been an effort for him. He still thinks he can figure it out from reading parenting manuals, poor guy. He had a pretty rocky start with Jamie because they're so much alike, but he's bringing him around."

Francine gave that some consideration before finally nodding her head firmly. "Well, if he can do it, I can do it." She stood up and gestured to the pile of paperwork. "Thanks for this again. I better get moving if I'm going to meet Jonathan on time."

She strode off too quickly to hear Amanda mutter "Trying to be happy is not a competition, Francine" as she rolled her eyes.


	2. Choice Words

Francine leaned on the railing of the hotel room balcony and stared out at the sun rising over the serene Caribbean waters. She'd managed to catch a few hours of sleep after Jonathan had walked out, saying he needed some space and although she'd waited, it hadn't surprised her that much when he hadn't returned. He'd never behaved well after an argument back when they were engaged and she could see that some things never changed.

It had started so innocently, the two of them lying cuddled in bed after lovemaking, Jonathan tracing his fingers along her skin in the light of the dozen candles he'd lit around the room.

"Did I do this?" he'd suddenly asked, pointing to her ribs. "I am so sorry, Honey – I didn't realize I'd been so rough."

She'd craned her head to look down at her side where there was still a faint bruise and laughed lightly. "Oh no, that wasn't you. That's from my fight with Brody."

"Your fight with Brody? I thought Stetson busted you out of that plane."

"Well he did mostly, but these are from when Brody grabbed me at the apartment. I almost had him too until he pulled out that knock-out spray. Those guys always underestimate women for some reason. That's usually what gets them," she said with a quick smile. "But not this time, I guess," she added, peering down at the bruise with a pout. "I'll have to put some concealer on that tomorrow if I'm going to wear that bikini I brought."

Jonathan was still staring at the bruise with a concerned expression. He traced his fingers along it again before saying, "Well, at least that's one less thing for you to worry about when you come back to Europe with me."

"What?" Francine looked back up at his face with a startled expression. "What do you mean when I come back to Europe with you? I thought you were moving back to Washington!"

Jonathan had the grace to look abashed. "Well, no – I couldn't get the loans I needed to keep my business afloat from American banks, so I'm going to need to go back to my European financial contacts and work them instead. It won't be easy, but with my beautiful girl at my side, they'll be much more malleable on the party circuit." He began to drop kisses along her hip but looked up when she sat up with an affronted expression.

Francine didn't even know where to begin with the assumptions he was making. "But Jonathan, I don't _want_ to move to Europe. I have a life and a career that are important to me and that I've worked damn hard to achieve. If I transfer to European Operations I'll lose all my seniority. I've spent too many years building up the respect I deserve here to just walk away and start that all over again, and I'm certainly not going to do it just so that I can be window dressing for you at cocktail parties for boring bankers in my off hours!" She could hear echoes of Amanda in what she was saying and understood for the first time how annoying that must have been. "I have a whole network of contacts in Washington you could be working with – there isn't a politician or a banker between DC and New York that I can't hook you up with!"

An expression of annoyance went across Jonathan's face. "Wow – what guy doesn't want to hear his girlfriend say that? And anyway, you're missing the point - you'd be so much more than window dressing! With your brains and your gift for languages, you can get doors opened for me that I could never manage by myself. Add in my business acumen and we'll be unstoppable!" His tone had become wheedling now and somehow, that annoyed her more.

"What kind of business acumen got you this close to bankruptcy in the first place?" she couldn't help snapping, feeling a momentary pang of guilt at his hurt expression.

"I admit it, I've had some setbacks, but you know how it's been with the financial markets since the Iran-Contra Affair and Reagan making speeches about tearing down the Berlin Wall – bankers have been leery about any dealings with American businessmen."

"I do know that and I also know both of those things have also made my job more important than ever. And all my experience makes me much better suited to deal with those kind of things on this side of the Atlantic!"

"But you wouldn't BE dealing with them if you marry me and come back to Europe, would you?" he answered in what he thought was a persuasive tone. "You could take all that experience and channel it into a whole new career helping me rebuild my business!"

She literally couldn't sit still as the anger overcame her at what he'd just said. Pushing herself off the bed and pulling on the short silk robe she'd discarded earlier, she began pacing across the room furiously. "Are you serious? You think I'm just going to quit my job and follow you into God-knows-what kind of future when you've only been in my life for the last two weeks?"

"Only two weeks? You were willing to marry me five years ago- doesn't that count for anything?"

"A lot has happened to me in those five years, Jonathan. I'm not the same dewy-eyed girl I was back then and I literally have the scars to prove it!" She whipped back the silken robe and jabbed a finger at the puckered scar on her exposed thigh from the bullet wound she'd received last year.

"Dewy-eyed girl? You've got to be kidding me if you think you were ever anything like that. Remember, that's why I lost my nerve five years ago – your strength was too much for me." He'd gotten to his feet now too and was pulling on his clothes. "And honestly, that kind of scar just tells me that I'm right that you should get out of this business! It's too dangerous a job for a woman!"

Francine barely kept her temper under control. "I'm damn good at my job and there isn't one man I work with that would say any different. I am perfectly capable of looking after myself in dangerous situations!"

"Really? Because it seems to me you'd be in Russia by now if your white knight Stetson hadn't shown up to rescue you!" Jonathan wasn't even trying to hide his jealous anger over that fact.

"I wouldn't have needed my _best friend_ to show up if my _boyfriend_ had trusted me enough in the first place to come directly to me instead of falling for that complete and utter hogwash Brody was feeding you and agreeing to drug me!" She dashed away the tears of rage that had sprung into her eyes. "And you know what else? I was halfway to getting myself out of that plane when Lee showed up and you want to know why? Because after last time, I was smart enough to get our weapons guy to outfit my shoes with things I could use for just such an occasion – I wasn't going to be stuck in a cellar again waiting for some man to show up and save me when I can do it myself! I have never needed a white knight!"

"Last time? When was last time? How often does this kind of thing happen?"

Francine realized she hadn't told him about that unexpected run-in with white slavers that had led to her meeting Julie. She pushed away the memory of sinking into the icy river water and how she _had_ needed a rescuer that day. "It doesn't matter when 'last time' was – what matters is that you don't need to think of me as some little girl who needs rescuing from the big bad wolf, especially if my alternative is just being your trophy wife!"

"You really haven't changed a bit, have you?" Jonathan huffed. "You are just so damned independent you can't let yourself trust in anyone but yourself!"

"Says the man who disappeared without even a goodbye when we were practically at the altar!" For the briefest fraction of a second, she wished she could have bitten back those words, but that momentary feeling passed, overcome by how good it felt to finally let him have it for walking out on her. The two of them glared at each other in the candlelight, both knowing that they were entering dangerous territory now.

"How long have you been storing that up?" Jonathan asked finally.

"Oh, I don't know - about five years, I guess," she answered icily. She couldn't help herself now- the old hurt was bubbling up like poison.

Jonathan glared at her for a moment, then headed for the door. "I'm going for a walk," he muttered.

Francine watched him go, not having the energy or the inclination to fight with him anymore. As the door slammed behind him, she walked to the table and emptied the last of the champagne into a glass and curled back up on the bed, staring into space. The fight had been short but vitriolic and she wondered if Jonathan would even come back. Tilting her head back to drain the glass, she pulled the pillow closer and wrapping herself around it, let herself drift off to sleep.

She hadn't slept long – a few hours at most, waking suddenly with a feeling of overwhelming calm. She turned to look at the clock: six a.m. Jonathan had been gone five hours and the sun was rising. She slipped from the bed and went out onto the balcony. Years of training meant she couldn't help scanning the area for any sign of Jonathan, but mostly she just let herself enjoy the view of a new day dawning. She felt a weight lift off her, an unfamiliar feeling and in that instant, she knew who she had to talk to.

Walking back into the room, she dialled and listened to it ring back in Washington.

When a sleepy voice finally answered, she was so relieved she forgot to respond with anything except "How do you know when it's over?"

There was a moment of silence and then a chuckle came down the line. "It's usually a pretty good sign when you ask that question, but you should ask the relationship expert."

"You're right. I should have called there first – I'm sorry I woke you up. Go back to sleep."

"Wait a minute, wait a minute – don't hang up! What's going on? Are you okay?" She could hear the honest concern and her eyes pricked with tears.

"I'm fine, but I think it might really be over with Jonathan this time."

"What did he do?"

There was something oddly reassuring in the matter-of-fact way Amanda assumed Jonathan was at fault. She sighed, wondering how much she wanted to tell her. "We had a stupid fight about whether or not I was going to move to Europe with him, and he stormed off. He hasn't come back yet and I'm wondering if he's pulled another vanishing act."

"How long has he been gone?"

There was a slight noise like a struggle at the other end and then to her surprise, there was a new voice.

"Are you alright?"

"Lee? You're actually spending nights at Amanda's now?"

"Not often enough, no, but the boys are at Joe's and Dotty's at Curt's. So, are you okay? Do you need me to come down and kick his ass?"

She smiled to herself at how grouchy he sounded, but tried to sound annoyed as she scolded him. "Stetson, you sound like a great big overprotective mother bear, and you know perfectly well I can do that all by myself." She realized as she finished speaking that she could hear Amanda reprimanding him in an identical tone of voice.

There was a snort of laughter at the other end. "Oh my God, it's like having stereo wives. And I know you can, but I told you I'd always be there for you, didn't I? So are you going to? Kick his ass, I mean?"

"I don't know. You two make domesticity kind of attractive, but I don't know if I want to give up my career to make him happy. Last night I found myself making a list of all the things he does that annoy me, thinking it would help me see that I was being ridiculous, but all it did was make me realize that I don't think I want to be with him. "

Lee was silent for a moment, then asked slowly, "So, if someone walked in right now and told you he was gone for good, how would you feel?"

"Relieved", she answered without thinking.

"Well, there's your answer, Francine. Seems to me you've made the choice not to settle."

"You seem to have made that choice pretty easily." She knew she sounded snippy and immediately added "Sorry – that came out wrong."

There was another long pause and then Lee sighed, "There's a big difference between settling down and just settling, Francine. Don't let him talk you into something you don't want."

Her sigh matched his. "Yeah, you're right. I'm going to give him a piece of my mind and then I'm coming home."

"You don't want to just walk out and leave him the same way he did to you? I'd want to if I were you."

"Of course not! He doesn't get to leave with even one iota of justifying this to himself as having been my fault!"

Lee's laughter rolled down the line at her. "Good for you. Let us know when you're on your way and I'll pick you up at the airport."

"Sure, Dad," Francine couldn't help mocking his lecturing tone, but then went on. "Lee? Remember when I told you to take care of your own business and keep out of mine? Thanks for not listening to me."

Lee's laughter increased at that. "Well, I learned that from the best, you know."


	3. Family Matters

She should have been home by now, back in her apartment, back in the office Billy had cleared for her as his second-in-command, back in the life she loved. But was she? No – she was sitting on a bench in Sea World in Orlando, trying to ignore the screams of small children and avoid being jostled by tourists while she waited for some mysterious contact to show up and pass her information.

"Why did I answer that page in Miami Airport?" she thought to herself, leaning back in horror as a little boy with a melting ice cream walked by her, too close for comfort. She'd been between flights, on her way home from San Angelo when Billy had tracked her down and asked her to meet a contact bringing them vital information from MI5.

 _"_ _MI5 wants to have a meet in Disneyworld?" she'd asked incredulously when Billy mentioned Orlando._

 _"_ _What can I tell you, Francine? Apparently they want to use the cover of crowds of happy families. But it won't be at Disneyworld - they're asking if you can be at Sea World tomorrow."_

 _She'd snorted in disbelief but agreed to go on one condition: "If I have to buy clothes to fit in at Sea World, it's not coming out of my budget, Billy!"_

 _His loud guffaw had made her smile despite herself. "Agreed. So, you need to be on the bench closest to the penguin enclosure tomorrow at noon and the recognition code will be…"_

"Did you know that it's the male penguin that hatches the egg?" said a voice with a British accent beside her.

Francine stiffened and turned to stare at the source of that voice. It was the right phrase, but the speaker appeared to be a boy, younger than Amanda's sons, who was staring at her steadily.

"Aren't you a little short to be a Stormtrooper?" she couldn't help asking.

The boy's face split open with a wide grin. "You're funny! And really pretty," he said in the direct way of small children.

"Well, thank you," she couldn't help laughing now at having thought he was some sort of unlikely MI5 agent. "But what was it you were asking me about penguins?

"Oh right!" he stopped and thought hard for a moment. "I was asking if you knew that it's the male penguin that hatches the egg?" he repeated.

It couldn't be a coincidence so she gave him the coded reply, "I hear male sea horses hatch their young too," and watched him nod with satisfaction.

"I hope my grandson hasn't been bothering you," said a voice beside them, and Francine looked up quickly to meet the warm smile of Emily Farnsworth, a smile that broadened with delight when she saw who it was.

"Not at all," she said. "We're just discussing what makes a man a good father."

"Francine! How lovely! What a surprise to find you here!" Emily enveloped her in a warm hug as she stood up.

"I was sort of in the neighbourhood," answered Francine, "and thought I'd come see how the other half lives." She gestured to the milling tourist families surrounding them.

"Well, you must come and have a cup of tea with me while Jeremy watches the Keeper's Talk!" She turned to her grandson and went on, "Jem, my friend and I will be just over there at the café, alright? You come find me when the talk is done." The boy was nodding vigorously. "And no wandering off and getting into trouble, agreed?"

The boy grinned and held up his hand in a Scout salute. "I promise, Nana" before running off to find a good spot along the railing.

Francine turned to look at Emily as they walked slowly towards the nearby concession. "No wandering off and getting into trouble? He sounds like Amanda's kindred spirit."

"Yes, indeed," laughed Emily. She lowered her voice slightly before going on. "To be honest, I'm surprised to see you here. I thought Billy would probably send Amanda since the boys would make a good cover."

"Well, she hasn't travelled a lot since her accident," shrugged Francine, not missing the shudder Emily gave at the reminder. "I mean, she's fully healed now but it was a long convalescence, so…"

"Well, it's lovely to see you instead." Emily linked her arm through Francine's and gave it a squeeze. No one watching them would have noticed her slipping a small film canister into Francine's purse. "Now do tell me all the best gossip. What's going on with everyone in Washington?"

Francine pressed her lips together at the thought of how stunned Emily would be if she told her the 'best gossip'. "Oh you know, Emily, nothing much ever changes at the Agency."

"So is that young man still following you around like a puppy?"

"Of course," Francine began to answer before pausing to actually think about that answer. She'd gotten so used to Efraim being her shadow that it wasn't until this moment that she realized he hadn't been around the last month or so. Her mid-morning coffee still magically appeared on her desk but she rarely saw him in the bullpen anymore. She looked over to see Emily staring at her with a smile and realized she'd trailed off without finishing her sentence. "But not as much lately. I must be losing my touch."

Emily's lips pursed a bit at the underlying brittle tone in Francine's voice before patting her hand and saying warmly, "I doubt that, Dear. "

"I didn't know you had a grandson," Francine said abruptly and gestured to where Jeremy was hanging off the wall, trying to peer into the pool.

"I have four actually, and two granddaughters," answered Emily, noting the subject change and letting it slide. "Jeremy and I are here on a trip for his seventh birthday. It's kind of a family tradition." She gave a laugh. "I guess it's a bit of a family tradition to get dragged into spy work too. I couldn't resist sending him over to see who they'd sent to meet me."

"How young were your children when you first started doing this?" asked Francine curiously.

"Quite young, I suppose," answered Emily cheerfully. "Gordon was eight and Anna was ten, I think." She caught the look on Francine's face. "Oh yes, it sounds exactly like Amanda, doesn't it? But where she has a wonderful mother to help her, I had a wonderful husband."

"Your husband helped?" Francine couldn't help sounding surprised. "Somehow I never pictured Lord Farnsworth as a Mr. Mom."

"Well, of course at the time, we were still only a young married couple – he hadn't inherited the title then – and we did have some domestic help being Embassy staff, but really it was James who picked up the slack. There were a lot of times when I was travelling for work when he was both father and mother. I really couldn't have had any of my career without James' support."

"He sounds like he was pretty special."

"Oh he was, but he wasn't unique. I've known lots of men who took to fatherhood like a duck to water."

"Like Lee," said Francine unthinkingly and watched Emily's eyes go wide. "I mean, Lee seems like the type of man that would!" she added quickly.

"You think so? If that's the case I really must get back to Washington for a visit, and very soon!"

"You really should," answered Francine wryly. "You'd barely recognize the new mature Scarecrow."

"Nana! Did you know some penguins mate for life?" an excited voice interrupted them.

"Do they? What else did you find out?" Emily sounded genuinely interested.

"They can find their mate in a crowd of a million penguins."

"I feel like I've heard that somewhere before," muttered Francine.

"And you were right! It's the Emperor penguin dad that looks after the egg!"

"Isn't that coincidence? My friend and I were just talking about dads like that," said Emily enthusiastically.

"Well, it's enough to convince me," interjected Francine. "They have royalty and the men do all the housework? I have to find a penguin to marry."

Jeremy stared at her wide-eyed. "I don't think you'd like it. They're even shorter than Stormtroopers," he said earnestly.

"Well, I'll just have to wait for you to grow up then, won't I, Mr. Farnsworth? Look me up in fifteen years or so." Francine stood up and offered him her hand to shake which he did solemnly. "Emily, it was lovely to see you, but I have to make it make it back to the airport for my flight home. You must come to Washington soon though - Lee and Amanda are going to be so jealous I got to see you!"

"Well, I'll certainly try – from what I hear through the grapevine, Lee really has turned out to found himself the perfect partner!" Emily's eyes twinkled when Francine bit back a choke of laughter.

"Oh Emily, you have no idea."


	4. Knight Shift

Efraim was having the dream again – the one where he watched her disappear under the water on the Anacostia and dove in - except that in this dream, he couldn't find her in the swift current and she vanished into the darkness. It didn't matter how often he dove and dove again, reaching out into the inky black water trying to grab hold of her, every time he'd feel her slipping from his grasp, irretrievably gone.

He woke up flailing and gasping for breath as if he'd actually been drowning and realized he'd fallen asleep at his desk again. He looked around carefully, relieved to see he was still alone in the computer room, unsure if he'd actually been yelling her name out loud. He pulled his glasses off and rubbed a hand over his face, trying to slow his heartbeat in the wake of the nightmare.

It wasn't even always this dream that had him waking in a cold sweat, although this one was the worst – sometimes it was the one where Stetson and Billy were hanging over him at this very computer station, haranguing him to go faster as they tried to figure out where Brody had taken her and no matter what he typed, the screen remained stubbornly blank. He didn't need Pfaff to tell him what the dreams meant, but he didn't know why he was still having them, when he had no hope with her at all. Francine had gone off with that ex-fiancé of hers, probably planning to take the "ex-" off that description, and even before that, she'd always made it clear she had no real interest in him beyond his ability to troubleshoot computer problems for her. She had been friendlier lately but… He sighed and leaned back in his chair to stare at the ceiling but there weren't any answers up there either.

The problem now was that it was beginning to affect his job; this was the second time this week he'd fallen asleep at work after not sleeping the night before. Not only that, the lack of proper sleep was also starting to affect his brain in other ways. For instance, right now, he could smell her perfume as distinctly as if she were actually there. Knowing it was wishful thinking, Efraim tilted slowly forward again and began re-reading the data set for his analysis for the fourth, possibly fifth time.

He yelped when a hand reached passed him and placed a cup of coffee in front of him.

"You looked like you needed this and I figured I owed you a few."

Francine walked around and leaned against the side of his desk, her face changing from a friendly smile to a look of concern when she turned to face him.

"My God, Beaman, you look like hell! When I came in a minute ago and you were asleep, I thought I'd bring you coffee as a joke, but you look like you haven't slept in weeks. What are you working on?"

He stared at her owlishly for a moment before finally managing to say, "It's not work, I've just been having trouble sleeping lately. I'm sorry – I'll still have this analysis done before I leave today."

"Beaman – Efraim – I could care less about the analysis. Look, why don't you go and try and get some sleep and I'll tell Billy I sent you home. He wouldn't be any happier to find you in this state – I'm sure you're not getting anything done properly anyway."

His brain was finally starting to register that she was actually concerned about him and wasn't trying to get him in trouble. "It's fine – I'm fine. I think I'm probably just coming down with a cold or something" he answered trying to bluster his way through it. The way those icy blue eyes narrowed as he talked told him she wasn't buying it.

"Well, that's an even better reason for you to go home and sleep it off – we don't want you here infecting everyone else. Go home – that's an order – and I'll tell Billy I've reassigned this one." She picked up the analysis package off his desk and tucked it under her arm with her clutch before he could stop her.

"I told you I'm fine, why can't you just leave it at that?" he grumbled, reaching over to try and snatch it back out from under her arm.

She evaded him easily and walked around to the far side of the computer desk, then leaned forward to point an accusing finger at him. "I'm not going to leave it at that and I'll tell you why. I have had a lot of very enlightening conversations in the past few weeks and apparently, the universe has been hitting me with a sledgehammer to deliver one single message – want to know what it is?"

He sighed and leaned back in his chair, certain that she was about do her usual stellar job of dismantling any hope he had left. "Sure, why not? What Maharishi Yogi platitude has the universe taught you?"

"Two words, Beaman: support system." Her lips twitched slightly at his confused expression, but then she turned serious again and went on. "This business sucks if you don't have a support system. You need friends and family who believe in you and support you. Lone wolves don't do well – just ask Lee. Nope, wolves are supposed to live in packs and the pack looks after its own. So Mr. I'm-Fine, this is your pack talking: go home and get some sleep and don't come back until you're feeling better."

He leaned back and stared at her – this wasn't a side of her he'd seen before, although Amanda King had assured him it existed somewhere under the sarcastic shell. Curious as to what had brought on this new Francine, he looked for a way to keep her there, talking to him.

"So when did you get back anyway?" he asked finally. "I thought you were on some kind of Caribbean honeymoon or something."

Her eyes snapped with irritation for a moment, so fleetingly that anyone but Efraim with his gaze fixed on her would have missed it. "Well, Billy needed someone to do a meet in Orlando so I'm back early." She stood up suddenly and began rooting through her purse. "Which reminds me – that's why I was down here – I brought you something from Sea World."

She pulled a small box out of the bag and put it down on the desk in front of him with a look of mischief. He stared at in confusion before finally saying, "Okay, I'll bite. Why have you brought me a ceramic penguin?"

"Well, my future husband is a big penguin fan and it reminded me that you were too."

"Your future husband?" He was impressed with how he managed to keep the disappointment out of his voice. "So you and Stone worked it out then?"

"Oh no, Jonathan's history," she answered cheerfully. "Turns out he wasn't suited to having a girlfriend in the intelligence business."

"And you've already found a replacement for him?" Efraim gestured towards the figurine. "What's the penguin guy like?"

"Oh, he's English so he has that sexy accent of course, and exquisite manners but he is much younger than me, so I don't know if it's going to work out."

"Really? How much younger?" Efraim knew she was at least three years older than him – he liked to tell himself that's why she'd turned him down so many times, although the being-drunk part had obviously never helped either.

"He's seven."

"Seven years younger? Is he even out of college yet?"

She smiled at the implied compliment before clarifying. "No, I mean he's seven years old, so he might have to be my second husband. I guess I'll keep dating other people in the meantime."

Efraim could not figure out what this strange new mood was, but couldn't help asking, "Lowering your standards at last?"

"Oh no, I'm raising them. Jeremy is a huge improvement over Jonathan – he gets my Star Wars jokes, for one thing." She straightened up and pointed at the penguin. "Anyway, I saw that in the gift shop and thought you might like it." She looked at him uncertainly and went on, "You have a thing for penguins, right? You're always making jokes about them."

"No, you're right – I definitely have a thing for penguins." He picked up the ceramic figure and looked at it carefully. "An emperor penguin, huh? Well, since you're all hopped on your support system mantra, did you know they mate for life? And the male does all the child rearing?"

"I did know that. It's even more romantic when you think about how they can always find each other in a crowd of a million other penguins." She squeezed his shoulder as she walked past him, headed for the office door and he swivelled in his chair to watch her leave. She stopped in the doorway and looked back at him with a smile that was warm but had something else he couldn't quite interpret. She pointed to the penguin and went on. "That's what every girl really wants, you know. That one guy that understands what makes her the one in a million."

"And can always find her?"

Francine's smile broadened. "That too," she said over her shoulder as she walked away.

Efraim sat staring at the door, trying to decide if she'd meant that the way it sounded "There doesn't have to be a million of them to know when you've found the one," he said finally to the empty air, empty except for the faintest trace of her perfume.


End file.
